Losing weight and binging!

JLD_fitness

Heey,

What do you lot do when you’re craving something like chocolate, sweets and biscuits?

I end up eating a whole packet or more of something when its in the house 😭. Once I start binging I can’t stop!

People tell me to allow myself a small amount but that can make it worse!

Any tips would be amazing!

Thank youu ☺️

cmriverside

Yeah, for me there are just some foods I cannot eat "one." So I don't have them very often. I've spent 13 years trying to overcome that tendency and haven't been able to learn moderation. Some people can.

I just don't buy the stuff unless I accept at that moment that one package is one serving. Log it and move on.

spiriteagle99

Keep trigger foods out of the house. When I'm trying to lose weight, if I really want something sweet, I buy only one of whatever I crave. i.e. one scoop of ice cream, one piece of pie, one cinnamon roll. Don't buy the half gallon, whole pie or cake, etc. If you frequently want something sweet, look for substitutes. When I was doing low carb, I would eat the sugar free jello. With low calorie, then a piece of fruit or small pudding. Not something that's going to make me want to eat more than the single serving.

psychod787

cmriverside wrote: »

Yeah, for me there are just some foods I cannot eat "one." So I don't have them very often. I've spent 13 years trying to overcome that tendency and haven't been able to learn moderation. Some people can.

I just don't buy the stuff unless I accept at that moment that one package is one serving. Log it and move on.

I agree. Single serving is the carton of Halotop for me! I suggest you keep it out of the house, as someone else suggested, If it isn't there, you have to "work" to get it. We have to look at optimal forging. theory.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimal_foraging_theory If someone has to get up, get dressed, walk/drive to the store to get a single serving of something, they are far less likely to do it. If you just have to have this single serving of food, I suggest filling up on some lower energy dense foods and some lean protein. You might be less inclined to overeat it if you are already full... JMHO

@cmriverside , have you considered starting your own online coaching business. You don't have to have a degree to offer nutritional and lifestyle "advice" for a fee. Just a thought my unicorn!

4Phoenix

I keep cut crudités in the refrigerator....cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, bell pepper, celery, celery (If I'm going to be out and about for awhile I take some veggies with me).

I remind myself of my goals. My mind is a strong component on this journey. My mindset: I can eat whatever I want. It is my choice to be healthy. Cause and effect is real. I choose to eat the food that will support my goals. I'm grateful that every day I look forward to eating a beautiful delicious meal. My life is not about restriction, I do not allow myself to be hungry. I remain in the moment, knowing that I am capable, strong, and healthy.

This is how I live my life....I balance spiritual, mental, and physical goals. I enjoy the food I eat...it is nourishing, beautiful, and tasty. Seldom I have had desires (less frequently as time passes) for a food that does not support my lifestyle. For the past four months, I have not eaten over my calorie daily deficit, made a choice to eat food that does not support my goals, or been hungry. I can if I want to, but I love my life and the temporary indulgence is not worth my joy.

We choose our success by our daily habits. The power is in our hands.

cmriverside

psychod787 wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

Yeah, for me there are just some foods I cannot eat "one." So I don't have them very often. I've spent 13 years trying to overcome that tendency and haven't been able to learn moderation. Some people can.

I just don't buy the stuff unless I accept at that moment that one package is one serving. Log it and move on.

I agree. Single serving is the carton of Halotop for me! I suggest you keep it out of the house, as someone else suggested, If it isn't there, you have to "work" to get it. We have to look at optimal forging. theory.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimal_foraging_theory If someone has to get up, get dressed, walk/drive to the store to get a single serving of something, they are far less likely to do it. If you just have to have this single serving of food, I suggest filling up on some lower energy dense foods and some lean protein. You might be less inclined to overeat it if you are already full... JMHO

@cmriverside , have you considered starting your own online coaching business. You don't have to have a degree to offer nutritional and lifestyle "advice" for a fee. Just a thought my unicorn!

But I can waste all my time and not get paid for it here!! It's a good idea. You'll be my marketing rep, then? I'll also need a social media person.

((eHug))

spyro88

Yup... sometimes there is a food that you just can't have in the house... so the answer is, don't buy it in the first place.

You have to be the judge of which foods you are and aren't able to control yourself around.

That might change over time as you get more used to your new lifestyle and all the benefits that come with it But for now, just don't buy things that make you binge.

psychod787

cmriverside wrote: »

psychod787 wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

Yeah, for me there are just some foods I cannot eat "one." So I don't have them very often. I've spent 13 years trying to overcome that tendency and haven't been able to learn moderation. Some people can.

I just don't buy the stuff unless I accept at that moment that one package is one serving. Log it and move on.

I agree. Single serving is the carton of Halotop for me! I suggest you keep it out of the house, as someone else suggested, If it isn't there, you have to "work" to get it. We have to look at optimal forging. theory.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimal_foraging_theory If someone has to get up, get dressed, walk/drive to the store to get a single serving of something, they are far less likely to do it. If you just have to have this single serving of food, I suggest filling up on some lower energy dense foods and some lean protein. You might be less inclined to overeat it if you are already full... JMHO

@cmriverside , have you considered starting your own online coaching business. You don't have to have a degree to offer nutritional and lifestyle "advice" for a fee. Just a thought my unicorn!

But I can waste all my time and not get paid for it here!! It's a good idea. You'll be my marketing rep, then? I'll also need a social media person.

((eHug))

I doubt I would be a very good social media rep, as evidenced by post here on mfp! lol
Marketing? Maybe?

Hugs back!

kshama2001

JLD_fitness wrote: »

Heey,

What do you lot do when you’re craving something like chocolate, sweets and biscuits?

I end up eating a whole packet or more of something when its in the house 😭. Once I start binging I can’t stop!

People tell me to allow myself a small amount but that can make it worse!

Any tips would be amazing!

Thank youu ☺️

For me, ONE serving of chocolate can be a whole 1020 calorie bag of Dark Reese's Thins, a 300 calorie chocolate bar, a 70 calorie Ghirardelli square, or 35-50 calories of chocolate chips.

Since I CAN NOT moderate the Reese's or chocolate bars, I don't bring them into the house.

Since I CAN moderate the squares and the chips, I can still have chocolate

This also helps me with cravings:

1. Eating fruit regularly
2. Hitting my protein goal
3. Getting sufficient sleep
4. Exercising regularly

4Phoenix

@psychod787 Dr. Michael Greger has discussed optimal foraging theory when dressing our challenges. Yes, just keep your weaknesses out of reach. The "just one bite" doesn't work for most of us, even with best of intentions.

lgfrie

Binger here. Strongly agree with the above comments to keep trigger foods out of the house entirely.

A strategy that's worked pretty well for me is to keep substitute foods around that kind of fulfill the craving but aren't quite as good. Things that will give me some (50 % ?) of the satisfaction but without triggering the "eat the entire bag" behavior. For instance:

Milk chocolate with the good stuff in the middle like caramel, nuts, etc. -> simple, plain dark chocolate bar.

Ice cream -> skim milk based lower calorie ice milk bars

Ritz crackers (truly my kryptonite) -> healthier but still tasty crackers such as oat crackers, or possibly Triscuits, but those are still pretty close to the binging line for me

Doritos and corn chips -> chips from the healthy section of the store - veggie crisps, etc.

Etc.

Some snack foods can never be in my house, including in any substitute form. These include all forms of cookies with chunky stuff, like chocolate chip cookies or macademia nut cookies, and all possible forms of wafer bars, such as Nutty Buddy bars, vanilla wafer cookies, etc. That kind of stuff, I simply have to 100 % avoid.

So I would start with identifying what the worst trigger foods are and looking for slightly healthier, less bingey versions, but recognizing that some binge foods may have to be kept out of the house entirely, and also that some substitutes that don't look binge-inducing can in fact cause binges, so it may end up being a work in progress to find the right substitutes.

Dogmom1978

I would fail miserably if I didn’t let myself have my sweets. BUT I can control how much I eat. If you can’t control yourself, as others said, you need to remove them entirely. I would try to learn self control though so you don’t have to deprive yourself of the things you enjoy.

callsitlikeiseeit

you really kind of have to learn what works for you. I can have a cabinet full of chips and a freezer full of ice cream, and generally... i dont even think about it. But if there is any kind of chocolate in the house ... in ANY quantity.... game over. Cookies are rather tha same. So .... I try not to keep them in the house at all

AshHeartsJesus

Buy a single serving portion or make a healthy alternative whatever you do calculate it in 😎

kshama2001

lgfrie wrote: »

Binger here. Strongly agree with the above comments to keep trigger foods out of the house entirely.

A strategy that's worked pretty well for me is to keep substitute foods around that kind of fulfill the craving but aren't quite as good. Things that will give me some (50 % ?) of the satisfaction but without triggering the "eat the entire bag" behavior. For instance:

Milk chocolate with the good stuff in the middle like caramel, nuts, etc. -> simple, plain dark chocolate bar.

Ice cream -> skim milk based lower calorie ice milk bars

Ritz crackers (truly my kryptonite) -> healthier but still tasty crackers such as oat crackers, or possibly Triscuits, but those are still pretty close to the binging line for me

Doritos and corn chips -> chips from the healthy section of the store - veggie crisps, etc.

Etc.

Some snack foods can never be in my house, including in any substitute form. These include all forms of cookies with chunky stuff, like chocolate chip cookies or macademia nut cookies, and all possible forms of wafer bars, such as Nutty Buddy bars, vanilla wafer cookies, etc. That kind of stuff, I simply have to 100 % avoid.

So I would start with identifying what the worst trigger foods are and looking for slightly healthier, less bingey versions, but recognizing that some binge foods may have to be kept out of the house entirely, and also that some substitutes that don't look binge-inducing can in fact cause binges, so it may end up being a work in progress to find the right substitutes.

Along these lines, the Ben & Jerry's single serve cups do not come in my favorite flavors, and I am able to moderate these, as opposed to a pint of S'Mores, which lasts two days at the most, and with great effort.

ninerbuff

It's more a mentality approach. I eat ice cream everyday. But I don't buy pints, I buy the cups (like 16 in a package) and just eat one a day. If I want I cookie, I NEVER carry the package with me. I pick out 1 or 2 cookies and leave the rest in the cabinet.
Mindless eating comes when you can just reach and grab it. Now yes you could go back to the cabinet, but IMO it's much easier to say no, when the item is behind a closed door where you can't see it versus it sitting on the table in front you.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

briscogun

You can always take your favorite treats and break them down ahead of time into single servings that will fit into your goals. So instead of having a whole package of cookies, for example, you could use ziploc bags and sort them into single-serving sized bags, say 3 cookies each or whatever the package says is a "serving". You could do that with almost anything (ice cream, potato chips, etc). For example if I have crackers I know that a serving is 10 so I will just grab 10 and then I'm out. But if control were an issue I'd probably package them out so if I wanted another helping I'd be literally opening another package, you know?

AlexandraFindsHerself1971

This is why I spend the money to buy my chips in boxes of individual serving bags. I have found that even when I want more chips the fact that I have to stand up and go into the pantry and open another bag....nah, I'm good.

I am fine with incorporating frozen mini KitKats (gods, they're tasty!) and Rice Krispies treats into my diet. I cannot have my homemade sweet bread or cookies or cake in the house while I'm doing this. I just can't. The notion of having a couple cookies after lunch as a sensible dessert will have to wait until I'm at maintenance.

JintheSouth

Orange slices candy call my name. All day every day. I had it bad. CVS has sales on them 3/$4. I would reason, hey, they’re on sale, can’t pass that up

I’ve started buying the candy in smaller portions and staying away from CVS. For instance, the bag sold at CVS has more servings than the one sold at the grocery. Still shouldn’t be eating it but consuming 630 is better than 990. 7-11 used to have mini bags with maybe 6 pieces in them but they don’t sell them anymore. I’ve gotten better as I only buy one bag of candy on the weekend.

Sugar free gum has really helped with the sugar cravings.

For chocolate, I keep a bag of chocolate chips in my fridge. I grab a handful and let them melt on my tongue. That helps too.

FossilFusion

Hugs to the OP.

I am guilty of this binging as well. I find what helps me is using 10-20% of my daily calories towards 'junk' or treats.

Also another one I use to curb Sugar cravings in the evenings especially is I brought some Zero Calorie/Sugar flavour drops from Myprotein. I pour this in my Oatmeal which I have like an hour before bed and it seems to curb it.

I hope this helps 🙂

durhammfp

Cookies are definitely my trigger. Not cake, not candy. Cookies. Though I do go through periods where I'm jonesing for sugar, generally.

What helps me is about 20-30 grams of protein. Not sure why, but it helps keep the sugar demons aways.

kshama2001

durhammfp wrote: »

Cookies are definitely my trigger. Not cake, not candy. Cookies. Though I do go through periods where I'm jonesing for sugar, generally.

What helps me is about 20-30 grams of protein. Not sure why, but it helps keep the sugar demons aways.

This is true for me as well - I'm much less susceptible to high sugar (and fat) foods if my protein is on point.

sal10851

I simply don't buy trigger foods. Took a while but I finally found low calorie substitutes for all of them. I doubled my volume of food with low calorie options and that keeps cravings at bay.

domeofstars

If you don't buy it, you can't eat it. I buy a single serve of what i am craving.